Royal Bank of Canada stock rises Tuesday, outperforms marketIsrael launches new airstrikes on Lebanon as leaders draw closer to ceasefire with Hezbollah
Plane bursts into flames while landing in SK, 179 killedI can’t sugarcoat how progressives feel at the close of 2024: rough. President-elect Donald Trump won back the White House with a campaign that was bigoted and fascist. And from President Joe Biden’s backing of Israel’s ghastly war in Gaza to his ill-fated decision to seek reelection, progressives aren’t celebrating his tenure, either. The next few years will see an onslaught of challenges. If you look closely, you’ll see signs people aren’t just going to roll over and accept it. Here are five that caught my eye. The American public has had it with economic elites. Union activity has been on an upswing for a few years, with union petition filings in 2024 significantly up over 2023. After a successful national strike in 2023, the United Auto Workers won an election in Tennessee this year, a significant breakthrough in the traditionally anti-union South. And more Amazon warehouse workers and drivers are pushing to join. Meanwhile, communities in places such as Wisconsin fought back against a private-equity takeover of nursing care. And nationally, widespread anger exploded over the greed of health insurance companies. Trump likes to play a populist on TV. But if he moves to slash workers’ rights, cut taxes for CEOs and erode access to health care, he’ll have a fight. The movement for a ceasefire in Gaza drew support from a vast, diverse coalition of young people — with additional support from faith communities, unions, environmentalists and others who’d previously stayed “in their lane.” They haven’t succeeded yet. But they’ve won broad, bipartisan public support for a ceasefire, an arms embargo on Israel and, more generally, foreign policy informed by human rights. Democratic politicians, in particular, won’t be able to avoid this issue. Temperatures continue to rise. Natural disasters worsen, and our leaders fail us on climate. The Biden administration’s signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, is unleashing record investments in green jobs, fueling unprecedented growth in renewable power. Meanwhile, Indigenous-led efforts are quietly reintroducing species to their natural habitats. The more local support initiatives such as these win, the harder they’ll be to reverse. One of the worst moments of the 2024 campaign was the ridiculous slander of Haitian Americans in Springfield, Ohio, by Trump, and other right-wingers. Springfield natives turned out to support their Haitian neighbors. Locals flocked to Haitian restaurants, churches and community centers to show their solidarity. The lesson is that, while hardline immigration measures can attract support in the abstract, people feel differently when they realize members of their communities could be affected. Progressives should defend their immigrant neighbors without apology. They may win some unlikely allies if they stand up for what’s right. Forget “red states” and “blue states” — there’s support for progressive ideas in all 50 states. Just look at the election. Several conservative states passed ballot measures to raise the minimum wage, guarantee paid leave, protect abortion access and liberalize marijuana laws. Once you filter out the noise around candidates and ask people about progressive policies directly, even “red state” voters tend to support them. The key is to make candidates run on those policies — without watering them down. Our politics are a mess. But the U.S. isn’t lost — only our leaders are. When Americans organize around our common decency, it will be a lot harder for bullies such as Trump to walk over us. Certo is the communications director of the Institute for Policy Studies. He wrote this for InsideSources.com . Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Ahmedabad: Due to declining international prices, cotton rates have hit a three-year low of Rs 53,500 per candy (356 kg). Despite the peak season, Gujarat's ginning mills are experiencing financial difficulties following the price drop, with over 25% of units becoming non-operational. The state witnessed a daily arrival of 30,000 cotton bales (170 kg each), with the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) making substantial purchases. Meanwhile, spinning units are operating at near-full capacity and showing positive financial results. " Cotton prices are at a three-year low below Rs 54,000 per candy. The ginning units are struggling as they bought raw cotton at higher rates. Now the rates are falling continuously, putting the mills under pressure. Ginning units have higher fixed costs; therefore, these units do business for turnover even after losses," states Apurva Shah, vice president, Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI). Industry reports indicate a decline in cotton cultivation in Gujarat, with an estimated production of 88 lakh bales this year, a decrease of 4 lakh bales compared to the previous year. "Nov to Jan is considered the peak cotton season, and despite that, ginning units are not operational at full capacity. Gujarat has around 800 ginning units; out of them, 450 are fully operational, while many are operational for a few days a week. About 20% of the mills have not started pressing this year," added Shah. Spinning facilities have become profitable as cotton prices have declined. "As of now, spinning units are witnessing some profitability as cotton prices have gone below the Rs 54,000 per candy level. Now, CCI is procuring a significant quantity, and we demand it should keep a reserve quota of cotton for the Indian textile industry to ensure the industry gets priority. Spinning mills in the state are running at almost full capacity, and yarn prices are currently Rs 240 per kg, but demand is not strong. So there is a fear that prices will reduce in a few days because cotton stock in the open market is reducing with strong buying by CCI," explained Jayesh Patel, senior vice president, Spinners' Association Gujarat (SAG). Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss the yearly horoscope 2025 and Chinese horoscope 2025 for Rat , Ox , Tiger , Rabbit , Dragon , Snake , Horse , Goat , Monkey , Rooster , Dog , and Pig zodiac signs. Spread love this holiday season with these New Year wishes and messages .A Jeju Air flight from Bangkok to South Korea, with 181 people on board, crashed during landing on Sunday, leaving 179 dead and only two survivors rescued from the wreckage. Officials said a Boeing 737-800, operated by low-cost carrier Jeju Air, was warned of a bird strike by the control tower during its first landing attempt at Muan airport, after departing from Bangkok around 9:00 am (0000 GMT). Moments later, the pilot declared a “mayday” and tried to land again. Footage captured the plane attempting a belly landing, its landing gear still retracted. Dramatic footage shows the plane skidding along the runway, trailing smoke, before crashing into a wall at the end and bursting into flames . All 175 passengers and four of the six crew members on board were killed in the crash. The passengers, aged three to 78, were all Korean apart from two Thais, authorities said. Rescue workers rescued two survivors, flight attendants aged 25 and 33, from the wreckage. What caused the accident? Investigations have begun, with officials focusing on a potential bird strike and adverse weather as possible causes. “It really has to be a series of catastrophic events that led to such a high loss of life,” aviation consultant Philip Butterworth-Hayes told AFP. “Crash protection systems on board are extremely robust,” he said, describing the disaster as “the most serious incident I've seen” in recent years. When asked whether the runway might be too short , one official said this was likely not a factor. "The runway is 2,800 metres long," or 9,200 feet, “and similar-sized aircraft have been operating on it without issues,” the official said. Both black boxes -- the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder -- have been recovered, deputy transport minister Joo Jong-wan said. What is a bird strike? A bird strike -- a collision between a bird and an aircraft in flight -- can be hazardous to aircraft. Jets can lose power if birds are sucked into their air intakes, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN agency. Bird strikes have caused a number of fatal accidents globally. “We're looking at substantial birds hitting an engine, and that is, as we know, very rare,” said Butterworth-Hayes. He mentioned the famous "Miracle on the Hudson" incident in 2009, when a US Airways Airbus A320 was forced to ditch in New York's Hudson River after a bird strike damaged both of its engines. All aboard managed to escape. Hundreds of firefighters, emergency responders, and military personnel were deployed to the Muan airport area, with the acting president declaring it a special disaster zone. Meanwhile, family members, many in tears, waited on the airport's first floor. What is government's response? The accident occurred with South Korea in the throes of a political crisis that began when then-president Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on December 3, days before being impeached. Acting President Choi Sang-mok, on his third day in office, convened an emergency meeting with cabinet members Sunday and visited the crash scene. With AFP inputsAfter SpaceX and xAI, is preschool Ad Astra Elon Musk's next big venture? Here's what he plans to teach pre-kindergarten kidsCOLUMBUS, Ohio — Curt Cignetti’s eyebrows dipped, his lips pursed and his head cocked back in disbelief and, maybe, disgust. “Is that a serious question?” the Indiana coach launched toward an inquiring reporter after . “I’m not even going to answer that. The answer is so obvious.” Seconds later, Cignetti did answer, in the form of a head nod and a “well, of course, dude” expression. It is, after all, playoff lobbying season. And though Cignetti side-stepped the original playoff question here Saturday, he couldn’t resist commenting the second time around. But for many across the country — especially those residing in a particular part of our great nation (ahem, the South) — Indiana’s candidacy is not so obvious. And it didn’t get any more clear, for them, after the 38-15 loss to the Buckeyes. In fact, while writing away on this column, high above Ohio Stadium, this reporter received a couple of messages from those folks down South. Ah, yes — it’s that time of year. However, the SEC’s best argument for five teams — yes, — to get into the 12-team field likely fizzled on Saturday afternoon. Just minutes after Ohio State beat Indiana, , a bubble playoff team whose loss likely paves the way for the Hoosiers — and Tennessee too — to get in the field. Or does it? Last week’s College Football Playoff committee rankings seemed to position any Big 12 or ACC runner-up behind those programs. But we’ll know more Tuesday night when the committee releases its rankings. For now, let the politicking continue. Within Ohio Stadium after Saturday’s game, Cignetti and players met reporters with the playoff cloud lingering overhead. QB Kurtis Rourke is hoping for a “rematch” against Ohio State in the postseason, and linebacker Aiden Fisher says the Hoosiers — a team with 20 Group of Five transfers — showed their physicality against what is likely the most talented roster in college football. “People ask can this Group of Five team hold up? Look at the film,” Fisher deadpanned. He’s right, in a way. This wasn’t too disastrous of a performance by Cignetti’s crew. Ohio State scored in the final seconds to extend the lead from 16 to 23, and the Buckeyes got 14 points off special teams miscues from the Hoosiers. Indiana allowed a 79-yard punt return from star Caleb Downs, and it dropped a punt snap to give Ryan Day’s team seven more. In fact, IU’s defense allowed just 316 yards. But its offense, oh brother, its offense. The Hoosiers scored 15 points, 30 points below their average, and had 151 yards, more than 300 yards below their average. After its game-opening 70-yard touchdown drive, Indiana gained 81 yards on 48 plays. It gave up five sacks, completed just eight passes and averaged 2.6 yards a play. “Every time we dropped back to pass, something bad happened,” Cignetti said. Cignetti pointed to a couple of factors for the offensive outing: the noise and Ohio State’s talent. The Buckeyes are “loaded,” he said, and the Hoosiers needed to switch to a silent count because of the noise, something that rattled the squad and resulted in O-line miscommunication. “I didn’t think we played our best game today,” Cignetti said. But did it show enough to be in the playoff? “I don’t make those decisions,” Cignetti responded. “It’s more important now that I focus on the next game. Big rival [Purdue]. That needs to be everybody’s focus.” The focus for the masses was, is and will be Indiana’s schedule, ranked 106th among 137 FBS teams entering Saturday. Their opponents have a cumulative record of 10 games below .500. They’ve played one ranked team (Ohio State). Before Saturday, they’d beaten just one program with a winning record (Washington at 6-5). Those are the negatives. There are positives, too. Indiana beat nine of 10 opponents by double figures, was top five in the country in both scoring offense and defense and hung around — at least for a quarter and a half! — with the Buckeyes. Before kickoff Saturday, Cignetti, boastful and brash, let his feelings be known in an interview on ESPN. “We’ve got the largest scoring margin in college football, right?” he said. “There’s a narrative out there that’s created another chip for us. People can stick that narrative up their you-know-what.” Plenty of other bubble teams have their own problems, too. Tennessee lost to five-loss Arkansas. Any ACC or Big 12 champion will likely have at least two losses. SEC teams Ole Miss and South Carolina have three defeats, and Clemson lost at home to Louisville (not to mention the season-opening slaughtering against Georgia in Atlanta). Even two-loss Georgia, despite playing the country’s toughest-ranked schedule, struggled for three quarters with UMass (the Bulldogs allowed a whopping 226 yards rushing). Every team has a wart or two or three or four. It’s a near-impossibility to separate the group of potential at-large squads, a thankless position for committee members and the poor sap (Michigan AD Warde Manuel) that the CFP unnecessarily trots out each week to explain the rankings. Perhaps it’s why professional football has no committee. No at-large teams. No silly data-driven decisions and wacky metrics to separate playoff squads. In the NFL, it’s quite literally settled on the field, with postseason berths tied to division and conference finishes. Some want that model for this sport. One of them was here on Saturday: Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, a man who in the spring . The model would include three or four automatic qualifiers for each the SEC and Big Ten; two each for the ACC and Big 12; one G5 auto bid; and then three to five at-large spots in a further expanded 14- or 16-team field. Is that the future? Maybe. For now, let the lobbying, the silly metrics and the impossible debates continue.
